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2013 Fall Home Improvement September 25, 2013
Special edition of LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com
by Jim Youngquist
for
WINTER
Preparing your asphalt
Maintaining asphalt is much more than
maintaining that deep, jet-black color. Both
concrete and asphalt drives age, but unlike
concrete, asphalt can be rejuvenated and kept
alive with proper maintenance.
Maintenance of an asphalt drive involves three
basic things: (1) replacing or patching sections
of asphalt that are failing or have failed, (2)
cleaning and filling the cracks, and (3) sealing
the asphalt as a solid unit.
Water is the enemy of an asphalt drive. So it
stands to reason that maintenance activities are
concerned with preventing water from pen-
etrating the asphalt surface.
An asphalt drive that is showing its age can be
grayed, cracked, have sections that are thin-
ning or areas that no longer have asphalt in
them. When the cracking is severe, it is called
“gatoring” because it takes on the appearance
of the scales on an alligator’s back. Gatored
sections cease to have any flexibility or
strength, and they allow water to penetrate be-
low the asphalt surface. Gatored areas are on
their way to the next phase of aging: asphalt
thinning and death.
Asphalt thinning comes about when there is
little left to keep the aggregate bound together.
Asphalt death is when there is no binding left
and what you have left is black or gray
gravel.
Dead sections of asphalt should be cut out
and replaced. Some people choose to patch
potholes that have resulted from gatoring. A
very good patch material is available at Logan
County Hardware. It has smaller aggregate
(rocks) and it sticks together really well. After
filling the hole, you are instructed to run over
A
well-maintained asphalt drive lends beauty to your home and yard. That black
patina seems to set off all the colors around your house and gives your house
real value. At one-third to one-half the cost of a concrete drive, asphalt may be
the way to go. But an asphalt drive needs to be properly maintained, especially
before the winter months when temperatures plummet, when plows and shovels scrape
snow and ice, and when water is everywhere.
